


I’d Let You Hurt Me Just to Be With You

by lamaries



Category: Der kleine Vampir | Little Vampire - Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, The Little Vampire, The Little Vampire (2000), The Little Vampire 3D (2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Crushes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drama & Romance, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Human/Vampire Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, Teen Crush, Teen Romance, Unrequited Crush, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25384162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamaries/pseuds/lamaries
Summary: Rudolph would do anything for Tony, even if it means being miserable in the process.
Relationships: Tony Thompson/Rudolph Sackville-Bagg
Comments: 8
Kudos: 124





	I’d Let You Hurt Me Just to Be With You

“Rudy, let's go flying tonight,” the blond teenager leapt off a deep garnet bedspread and held out his hand to his best friend. Rudolph couldn’t help but blush a deep shade of lilac that Tony surely noticed before he reached out and took it. And he knew Tony noticed when he flashed the blushing vampire a smirk that caused his hand to tremble. “You alright?” _that damned smirk again._

“Yeah,” Rudolph breathed, turning away from Tony and lifting them out of his bedroom through the open window. 

The night air whipped in Rudolph’s hair, cooling his burning cheeks the best they could in the presence of Tony Thompson. Tony squeezed his hand, whooping with delight when the vampire took them plummeting towards a mountain before pulling up at the last second. The blond had grown so much in the past two years they had been apart. Fifteen years old looked so elegant on him; he had grown at most two inches since he was away, but the boy had grown into his form. He was even more handsome than the last time he had seen Tony. 

As the two flew above towering mountains and small towns tucked away between the greenery of the forest, Rudolph took long glances at the still soft features of Tony’s face. It had lost all of its roundness, but he still kept his bright, sky blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and beautiful hazelnut freckles dusted about his adorable button nose. _Adorable._ What was he doing? Who was he kidding? Rudolph couldn’t be thinking about Tony like that. He shouldn't have been thinking about him every day for the past two years, but he did that anyway. 

As Rudolph internally scolded himself for his inappropriate thoughts towards his best friend, his eyes drifted from Tony’s soft looking lips down his lean body, defined curves and muscles that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, although Tony _had_ taken up soccer, and was _very_ good from what he told him, but what did Rudolph know? Tony was so humble and smart and gorgeous-

Rudolph mentally kicked himself for thinking such a thing as the blond pulled him out of his thoughts with a gentle squeeze to his hand. 

“Are you sure you’re alright? You keep looking at me all weird,” Tony smiled comfortingly at him, making Rudolph flush _again. What was wrong with him?_

“Totally. Just happy you’re back, dude!”

Tony laughed and smiled warmly- not good for Rudolph’s heated face. “I’ve been back for a week already!”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not just glad you’re back,” the dark haired boy said a bit harshly, trying to look away. 

“I feel like something’s wrong, Rudolph,” Tony murmured, pulling his friend closer so that their arms were pressed together midair. 

_Yeah, I’ve hopelessly fallen for you and can't seem to be able to hide my feelings._ “Nothing’s wrong, I promise!” he squeaked, causing Tony to raise a skeptical eyebrow. “Let’s land right here!” he was thankful to find a clearing in the trees, attempting to change the subject in saying so. 

The two touched the ground with light thumps, both sitting against the trunk of an old Oak that shaded the silver moonlight. 

Tony reluctantly let go of the vampire’s hand, folding his in his lap as they looked over the landscape before them. Rudolph felt so hidden away with Tony here; like they were in their own world. He could still feel Tony’s concerned eyes on him, assessing him. 

Rudolph finally turned to the blond, his ears burning as their eyes locked together. “I’m fine! Just trust me.”

“Okay, bro,” Tony leaned back on the tree, concentrating his gaze instead on the rustling leaves above. 

“…What are you going to do when you return to California?” 

Tony whipped his head back to Rudolph so fast his neck popped. “Is that what’s bothering you? Jeez, sorry, I’m just asking,” he murmured defensively when Rudolph shot him an annoyed glare. “Yeah… we’re just going back to California… I guess… I don’t know when my parents will let me come back to visit.” 

“Oh, right. Of course,” Rudolph swallowed thickly. 

“Hey,” Tony whispered, placing a hand softly on Rudolph’s arm that made his breath hitch. “You’ll still be my best friend,” he shot him an affectionate smile.

“I know,” Rudolph tried to joke to distract Tony from his deep lilac cheeks. The blond just chuckled and kept smiling at him, that infectious smile that Tony only showed Rudolph; one that reached his entire face like it was nothing and made him feel as if he was the single most important person in the world to Tony. It was like it was one that he had all to himself. Sometimes it felt exactly like Tony was his, but they were only friends. It could only be that way. 

When Rudolph had seen Tony climb out of his parents’ car with a duffle bag slung across his back, he had flown up to the young mortal and hugged him so tightly that his friend had to gasp for breath. They had been exchanging letters for those two years they were apart and called each other whenever Otto set Rudolph up on the phone at the bed and breakfast. But it was so much better to be seeing Tony for real, to be able to gaze into his endlessly aquamarine eyes, to smell his shampoo as he walked by, to revel in his delicate fingers pressed against the vampire’s hand. 

Rudolph was so in love with Tony, and he had only realized when he came back- the feeling of safety and relief waving over him once he set eyes on Tony again. Whenever the blond teenager took his hand or smiled _that_ certain smile Rudolph only fell more deeply for him. Truth be told, the vampire was addicted to Tony, and he couldn’t think of being without him; much less never seeing him again as he went off to California and found other better friends. 

Rudolph didn’t want him to leave, but he was afraid Tony didn’t want to stay. So he changed the subject entirely, carrying on a light conversation until the sun had begun to peek over the horizon. 

“We should get you back to the castle then,” Tony sighed, hesitantly retracting his hand from where it had rested softly on Rudolph’s arm for the last few hours. He shot an angelic smile at Rudolph, getting up and brushing his blue jeans off before he held out his hand to Rudolph. The meek vampire took it shakily, trying to smile but utterly failing as he thought of Tony leaving in a few month’s time. And if Tony saw the glint of tears welling in his eyes as they took off, he was kind enough not to mention it. 

He just rambled on about cell phones and television marathons to Rudolph like he knew what they were. But that was okay. Rudolph got to study the way his friend’s eyes lit up as he talked about video games, the way his blond lashes fluttered as they cut through the night air, and the curve of his lips when he saw how much he had genuinely lost Rudolph. 

Arriving upon the castle, the dark haired teenager took them around to Tony’s room; the one he had occupied when he stayed there those years ago. 

“You’re still sure it’s okay that I’m staying in your room?” Tony asked for the hundredth time, and Rudolph blew out an exhausted breath. “I just kinda feel like I almost forced you out when I got here.” 

_Oh noble Tony._ Rudolph would have swooned, but he wasn’t his aunt. “No! I- it’s absolutely fine. It was yours first anyway.”

“You do too much for me, Rudy!” Tony chuckled, punching him lightly on the arm. _There’s that blush again._

“Oh, come now,” Rudolph murmured, “you know I’d give you anything.”

Tony blushed. Rudolph was left to stammer uncontrollably. 

“I- I didn’t- I wasn’t- that’s not-” but Tony was smirking. He placed a hand at the nape of his neck, which silenced the little vampire perfectly.

“Good Morning, Rudolph,” when he saw his eyes widen, he broke out into a wide grin that sent Rudolph back into a stuttering mess as Tony played with the hair at his nape, running his fingers softly through it. 

“I- yeah- I’ll see you… ton- tonight. Good Ni- Morning,” he turned to leave, feeling Tony’s lingering touch on his neck. It almost felt like he wanted him to stay, but no. _He couldn’t want that_. He would not want the pathetic pining vampire to be with him like that, not when there were other more interesting people than him. Rudolph wouldn’t keep Tony entertained for all the time they were together anyway. 

So Rudolph refused to allow himself to look back as he closed the door to Tony’s bedroom with a soft click. The vampire flew down the hall silently to the dusty guest room that contained his coffin he had moved into there for the duration of Tony’s stay. It was his very own reminder of the fact that he couldn’t _actually_ be with Tony in the long run, that he would just have to keep well away from him or he’d lose his best friend. 

“Why can’t you just sleep in his room?” Anna’s voice rang loud and clear from the threshold. 

“I won’t be able to control myself,” he half-lied. His sister scoffed, seeing straight through him. Rudolph balled his fists, taking a deep breath. “Well… h- he _is_ a growing teenager, and he may need his privacy, or whatever. I just know that I can’t stay away.”

“What, are you getting a taste for humans again, big brother?” Anna took it the way Rudolph was trying to imply. _Good._

“It’s none of your business,” Rudolph pouted, opening the lid to his coffin. 

“It’s alright,” the younger vampire said, trying to console her brother of a completely different conflict, “it’s happened to all of us throughout the years. It’s just a silly faze.” 

_You can say that again._ “Okay, you’re right. Good Day, Anna,” he lay down on the cool stone and slammed the lid of his coffin, not wanting to continue a conversation he didn’t want to have in the first place. 

“You can talk to me about your problems, you know,” she murmured outside the coffin.

“I know. I guess I’m just having some trouble and I need to figure it out on my own. Thank you, sister.”

“Good Day,” the door to his room squeaked shut and the vampire rubbed his eyes, ignoring tears that threatened to come up as his thoughts turned back to Tony. 

So the immortal fell into a troubled sleep, dreaming endlessly of the boy he yearned for more than anything, but couldn’t have. 

❃

Rudolph woke up to his stomach grumbling. He yawned and pushed open his coffin lid to head towards Tony’s bedroom so he could meet him before breakfast. 

Oddly enough though, when Rudolph came upon his friend’s room, the door was open and Tony was nowhere to be seen. _He normally waits for me,_ Rudolph thought with a pang in his chest. 

Flying down to the kitchen, the vampire found Tony sitting by himself at a long table, finishing up a bratwurst supplied by the sweet German couple running the castle. When the blond looked up and saw Rudolph, he beamed at him and motioned for him to sit down. 

“Good evening, Rudy,” he continued to smile fondly at Rudolph that the immortal couldn’t help but mirror him. 

“Good evening,” he murmured in reply while Tony took a swig of orange juice before standing up to set his empty plate on the counter. 

“Sleep well?” Tony asked behind him, causing Rudolph to blow out a breath of a laugh. 

“What’s that even supposed to me-” but he soon understood when Tony ruffled through his ink-black hair.

Rudolph started as the blond boy smoothed it out carefully. “You’ve got bed head- or… coffin head,” he smirked at the blushing vampire who was still speechless and staring wide eyed at the teenager who had just run a gentle hand through his hair. 

“Wha- I- I do _not!_ ” was all he could say as his flush deepened. 

“Sure, sure. Your hair’s just naturally charming like that,” his smirk was still ever present on his face, turning into a full on grin when he noticed how flustered Rudolph had gotten. Then his smile softened and Tony’s eyes twinkled as he timidly placed his hand on the vampire’s. “So, are you gonna take me flying tonight, Rudy?” 

Rudolph’s ears felt like they would catch fire if they burned any hotter. 

“I uh-” he was cut off by the loud sound of his growling stomach, and threw Tony an apologetic glance before rising from the table. “I’m gonna have some breakfast, and then I’ll come right back so we can go flying. Just wait a few minutes.”

“Alright,” Tony bit his lip and watched Rudolph fly out of the room, his own cheeks flushed pink. 

When Rudolph had finished his drinking, he dashed back down the halls to find Tony. If his heart still beat in his chest, it would be hammering now. Tony had touched him so many times lately, and so gently; Rudolph was hopeful that their night flying would get him closer to Tony. Maybe he would even reciprocate Rudolph’s feelings. But that was too far of a stretch. He was being _too_ hopeful. _Maybe things like this take time,_ he told himself as he rounded the corner into the kitchen. 

But what the vampire saw made him stop in his tracks. Anna was standing with Tony. She had her hands in his, with the blond swaying too much to not be under her charm. 

He looked on in horror when his friend smiled at her- but it was _his_ smile- it was Rudolph’s smile, that was now Anna’s as well, he supposed.

Then Tony looked up too fast for Rudolph to wipe the hurt off his face, and the smile flickered. He dropped his hands to his sides, opening his mouth to say something to the older vampire, but Anna put her hand on his cheek, turning him back to look at her. He immediately met her gaze, and was pulled back into her charm, that smile returning, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

Rudolph swiveled around and turned out of that room on his heel, zipping down the corridors with a terrible sick feeling in his stomach that he was quite used to by now since Tony returned. 

He finally arrived at his room, but upon seeing the vast emptiness of it, decided to go to Tony’s. He’d wait for him there for when he was done with Anna. Rudolph just told himself everything would be fine and that he had nothing to worry about. _Right?_

Walking through the open door, Rudolph was immediately hit with Tony’s smell; his shampoo, his blood, his evening breath all in one single room. Focusing on the blond was what filled his eyes with tears. His vision blurred and he slumped against the side of the bed near the wall- he didn’t want to be seen by Tony if he were to walk in. 

Tears poured down his face in hot trails while he gasped for air, trying to gulp down as much as he could before it left his lungs all too quickly. The realization that he would never be with Tony like that hit him just then, and he cried harder at the thought of losing his best friend to his sister. She was so much better than Rudolph though, and they each knew that. 

It was better this way for Rudolph to cry bitter tears over Tony than to face any rejection. It had probably meant to be this way. The vampire curled up beside the bed, resting his face on his knees. He sniffled and let out a few more choked sobs, trying to keep quiet as he heard someone passing in the hallway outside. 

“Rudolph?” Tony’s shaky voice sounded from behind him. He stiffened when he felt a wave of warmth come around to his side in mere seconds. “Rudy?” his voice came in a soft whisper that made the immortal shiver. 

He wiped his eyes quickly, although tears were still rolling down his cheeks when he looked up to see his friend crouched in front of him. 

“Rudy, what’s going on?” 

Rudolph only sniffled in response, shaking his head as he frantically wiped away more tears. And instead of mocking him like everyone else in his family would, Tony placed a careful hand on his cheek. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I- uh, it’s- it’s nothing, really,” he tried to play off, but the blond didn’t look like he believed him, grazing a thumb over his cheek to wipe away yet another tear. 

“Look Rudolph, I came up here ‘cause I saw you leave the kitchen with that look on your face, and now I find you here crying. You _have_ to tell me what’s wrong. Was it something I did?”

Rudolph leaned into Tony’s hand and stared up at him for a while, trying to decide whether to tell Tony everything. But from the soft gasp the teenager emitted, he could tell Tony had nearly figured it out. 

“Was- was it Anna? Because we—” he stopped immediately when he saw the miserable look in his eyes from his mentioning her, and Tony placed his other hand on Rudolph’s cheek, holding his face as if it were a piece of fragmenting porcelain while he tried to comfort him. 

Rudolph’s eyelashes fluttered closed and he sighed, letting the last remaining tears fall down his cheeks. When he opened them again, Tony was smiling at him so genuinely that nothing else mattered right then, and Rudolph couldn’t help but smile back. 

Then Tony was suddenly so close and his lips were brushing Rudolph’s, brushing his lips so gently that he had no time to react before Tony was pulling away again. 

Rudolph sat in silence, reveling in the sweet taste of Tony’s lips that had barely been there one second, and suddenly he was panicking. Tony had just kissed him? He had just kissed _him?_ Why would he? _But maybe he could possibly feel the same._

The blond’s eyes swept over his face only to see the utter shock plastered across it before he let go. “Oh I’m- I’m so sorry. If you didn’t want that- I’m sorry, I thought-” but Rudolph was smiling once more, and he leaned in bravely to meet Tony’s lips again in a chaste, badly timed kiss that made his friend gasp as their teeth clicked together. When they parted, he kept his forehead against Tony’s with his eyes shut tight, trying to get a hold on what had just occurred. The vampire pulled away after a second or two to nervously look back at Tony who, after a beat of silence, grinned and pulled Rudolph in by the lapels of his jacket. 

They met in a searing, slow kiss, their mouths exploring every inch of one another with each meeting of lips. Rudolph felt like he had been thrown up in the air, trying to find stability while he clutched desperately onto Tony’s waist, leaning his head back when the teenager broke away to leave a trail of burning kisses down his throat. The vampire moaned while he sucked a hickey at the base of his neck, pulling Tony in closer. It would definitely leave a deep bruised mark there later, a mark that meant he was Tony’s. He eagerly met his lips when he trailed up to his mouth again, causing the immortal to gasp when he nipped at his top lip, licking over it gently. 

Rudolph was too euphoric in those moments to care that he was probably making a fool out of himself with the little kissing experience he possessed. He was just lucky he hadn’t pricked Tony with his fangs yet.

Rudolph whimpered when the blond broke away and stood up. His stomach dropped when Tony walked towards the door. _Yeah, that’s what I thought._

But he had stopped just before it and shut the door, turning around to gaze at Rudolph again. He climbed onto his bed and held out his hand to the flushed vampire. 

“Let’s fly somewhere,” he whispered with glowing cheeks as Rudolph stood up and took his hand. 

“Ok- okay,” he breathed when Tony laced their fingers together, smiling at him as they hovered above the covers. He glided with Tony over to the window and, throwing it open, shot the two out into the night. 

Tony grinned over at Rudolph as the wind whipped through their hair, squeezing his hand when the dark haired teenager flashed a shy smile back at him. Tony pointed to a spot hidden by trees and said something, but the wind was so loud in Rudolph’s ears. 

“Huh?” he practically yelled. 

The blond smiled and said it again, but Rudolph couldn’t hear it, and shot him another confused look. Tony just rolled his eyes fondly and tugged at his hand toward the spot. Rudolph let out a defeated sigh and floated them downwards until they were sitting under the tree he had pointed to overlooking a rippling lake. 

As the two sat down, Tony leaned into Rudolph, who timidly unclasped his hand from Tony’s to snake it around his waist. The blond turned his head to Rudolph and smirked teasingly, causing the boy to begin to retract his hand as his ears burned. But Tony only chuckled and placed a hand on his chest, curling around the immortal, encouraging him to keep his arm around his waist. 

They held still for a while, silently looking over at the lake until Tony slid his hand up from Rudolph’s chest to rest at the back of his neck. The boys looked into each other’s eyes, deep maroon meeting ocean blue, their expressions filled with desire, a desire to say what would remain unsaid for the time being. 

Tony then tilted the vampire’s head down to kiss him sweetly, smiling into his mouth when Rudolph gasped at the contact. They parted only to kiss again over and over, their cheeks glowing at each break of contact. 

Eventually Tony broke away completely, cupping Rudolph’s cheek in his hand. When seeing the love-struck grin on his friend’s face, Tony smirked, leaning in for another small peck to his lips. 

“Are you feeling better now?” he murmured into Rudolph’s lips before pulling back to look into his eyes with a kind of softness that could melt hearts. 

Rudolph was only able to blush and nod; he was so worried he would have had to hide his feelings forever. Tony flashed Rudolph that perfect smile again, running his hand through Rudolph’s spiked hair. The vampire practically beamed as the blond in his arms rested his head in the crook of Rudolph’s neck, breathing gently on his skin. He turned his head to plant a kiss in his golden hair and leaned his head against Tony’s, absentmindedly running his thumb back and forth along the hem of his deep red sweatshirt. 

A whispered conversation carried out until the sun had just begun to rise, and Tony stood up, brushing himself off from sitting on the ground before he held out his hand to Rudolph. He took it eagerly, intertwining their fingers like before. This time, however, Tony kept close to Rudolph while they flew back to the castle, their arms flush against each other as they giggled about things Tony murmured in the vampire’s ear. 

Once they touched down on the prussian blue carpet, Tony wrapped his arm around Rudolph’s back, pulling the boy into a passionate kiss that left him breathless. 

When they parted, Tony yawned, scrunching up his nose so adorably that Rudolph _had_ to kiss him again. So he did. The blond blew out a breath of a laugh before pulling away, smiling sweetly. 

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna go to bed,” Rudolph pouted but reluctantly let go, heading towards the door. Tony stopped him though, grasping his hand from behind. “I- uhm, could you _maybe possibly_ stay the night- er, day? I mean, you don’t have to, but—”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm?”

Rudolph smiled at Tony and kissed his cheek softly. “Of course I’ll stay with you.”

Tony’s lips upturned and he nodded, letting go of him. “I’ll just… get ready for bed and I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Rudolph cooed, moving to sit on the blond teenager’s bed as he rushed off to the bathroom for a few minutes. 

All Rudolph could think about was the way Tony had smiled so lovingly, unlike any other smile he had shown him before, and how he had been the courageous one and kissed Rudolph, sparing the blond the chance of seeing him make a fool of himself. Honestly, if that hadn’t happened and Rudolph hadn’t been crying in Tony’s room, the vampire would most likely still be miserably pining after a boy he didn’t know shared his feelings. 

Tony returned from across the hall in a baggy green sweatshirt that reminded Rudolph of the Black Forest. It hung off his shoulders, displaying his collarbone for the vampire to gawk at. He also wore a pair of black briefs like the ones Rudolph wore, making him blush at the thought of Tony without them. But he could never do that. Not when they had only just kissed. _Stupid._

The blond nervously fidgeted with the hem of his sweatshirt while Rudolph continued to stare wide eyed at him. 

“Uh, I- you- you should wear that more often,” he said lamely, making Tony giggle as he climbed onto the bed. Pushing aside the covers, he opened up a spot for the teenager, inviting Rudolph to join him under the plush duvet. When the dark haired teenager swung his legs over, Tony made a face. 

“Don’t you wanna take your boots off? Or your jacket? You’d be more comfortable, I bet.”

Rudolph sighed and struggled out of his boots, shrugging off his jacket as well. He was left in his ashy green t-shirt and jeans, climbing into bed with the boy he loved. After a few moments though, Rudolph even grew uncomfortable in his jeans and, watching Tony smirk, shimmied out of them. 

“You took off your pants too! I don’t see what’s so funny,” he scowled as his cheeks tinted harshly, but his bitter expression was soon turned to a smile when the blond teenager pulled him down by his shirt into a deep kiss, sending every last thought straight out of his head. 

“You’re just so cute, baby,” he whispered, beckoning the immortal to lie down with him. Rudolph had never heard those words used like that, but he assumed it was something modern and romantic, so he flopped down beside his friend, unsure of what to do. 

Tony realized how he was panicking and smiled softly at him, opening up his arms for Rudolph to lie in. The vampire looked at him gratefully and inched himself toward the blond. Tony immediately wrapped him up in his arms and covered his face in gentle kisses that made him laugh. Their legs tangled as they settled in, becoming comfortable cuddled together. Rudolph was so happy to finally feel wanted by someone such as him. It was like a weight lifted off his chest; he could finally breathe instead of being smothered by the never ending yearning for his best friend. 

“Thanks for everything,” he mumbled into Tony’s chest. 

“What do you mean by ‘everything’?” he murmured so softly that if someone were listening by the door they would think Tony hadn’t answered. 

“You.”

Tony made a small _oh_ sound and kissed the top of Rudolph’s forehead, burying his nose in his ink-black spikes. 

“Good day, Rudy,” came a soft whisper as the teenager faded into sleep, the blanket lifting to his shoulders, immersing his body in warmth. 

“Good day, love.”

Rudolph fell asleep clutching at the loose fabric around Tony with one hand and another at the back of his head, stroking through soft golden hair. 

❃

Rudolph felt something moving. Something shifted in the soft envelope of space he was currently lying in. Then warmth was suddenly being torn away from him. He held on tighter to the mass of a green sweatshirt and mussed blond hair. 

“Baby, I’ve gotta go, I’m sorry.”

“Mhm… why? Why can’t you stay with me?”

Tony sighed and lay back down in Rudolph’s arms again. His sweatshirt was hanging off his shoulder, revealing creamy white skin that hadn’t been touched by Rudolph’s lips yet. So he leaned his head down and kissed his shoulder, swirling his tongue about playfully where he sucked a beautiful scarlet hickey onto his collarbone. The blond moaned, giggling softly when Rudolph captured the whispered sound with his mouth. Running a cool hand beneath his shirt, he grazed over the small of his back delicately as Tony snuggled in closer to him. 

Tony cupped Rudolph’s jaw as he kissed him senseless in his sleepy state, catching his bottom lip between his teeth as he pulled away, sucking at it for a moment just to hear his vampire sigh. 

“Seriously Rudolph. It’s almost night. I have to call my parents, I promised. I’ll come back.” 

“Mm… not fast enough,” Rudolph complained, kissing the patch of skin under Tony’s ear, coaxing a low moan from deep in the blond’s throat. 

“Look,” he said, pushing Rudolph away with a chuckle. “I _need_ to call them, or they’ll get worried. But since _you_ can’t wait, then _I’ll_ be by that bridge outside the castle _waiting_ for you at sunset.”

Rudolph yawned and stretched after he let him out of his arms and Tony had slid out of bed. “Alright,” he watched from beneath the heavy blankets as Tony struggled into light washed skinny jeans and fiery red sneakers. He looked absolutely gorgeous with his sweatshirt lazily tucked into his pants and his hair still a mess from sleep. “You’re so gorgeous,” he blurted before he could think. He immediately clamped his mouth shut and felt his ears burn lilac. But Tony’s cheeks tinted a beautiful rose color and he smiled Rudolph’s special smile just for him and walked over to the vampire, kissing him longingly on the lips before he straightened and turned on his heel, walking towards the corridor. 

“The bridge. Sunset. Don’t be late!” he reminded Rudolph from the doorway. 

“Of course not. I’m never late,” he grinned, watching Tony skip out of the bedroom happily. 

❃

It had only been five minutes. The sun had dipped below the horizon only five minutes ago, and Rudolph should have been with Tony right then. But instead he was sitting on a windowsill, gazing nervously at the blond who was resting his head against the large gateway, tapping his foot on the smooth stones beneath him. 

Rudolph had tried to muster up the courage to just fly down to Tony for the past half hour, but he had been afraid that after a good day’s sleep Tony was conscious enough to decide he didn’t actually want the vampire. His worries were put to rest though when he saw Tony arrive at the bridge with a bundle of flowers in his hand. He played with them so innocently as he waited, and Rudolph had panicked again that Tony would grow bored of him later after he realized how little the immortal had to offer. Nevertheless, he had seemed so genuinely happy that Rudolph agreed to meet him at sunset, so it could be good for a while before Tony grew bored. 

As he was trying to finally push himself to fly to the blond, he saw Tony’s head swivel upwards, looking in Rudolph’s direction. He grinned and waved, and the vampire’s breath caught in his throat as he froze. He waved meekly at the teenager, who was still smiling up at him. He then waved his hand again, beckoning him down this time, and Rudolph leapt up with a sigh of relief as he started to fly towards him. But he stopped right where he was when he saw a flash of purple hair wound in a tight braid whizz by his face. 

Rudolph watched with a gaping mouth as Anna glided down to his friend. She stopped in front of him and said a few words, pointing to the flowers in Tony’s hand. With a drop of the older vampire’s stomach, the blond haired teenager whispered something in Anna’s ear and held them out to her, who took them, batting her thick black eyelashes as Tony flashed her a dopey grin. He immediately grabbed for her hand and her high pitched giggle reached Rudolph’s ears as they took off into the night, Tony as close to her as he was the night before with Rudolph. 

Tears stung at the pale teenager’s eyes as the wind blew through his sloppy spiked hair. His mouth was still agape, drying out his throat as a half-sob made its way out. He raced inside and down the halls, not stopping until he had slammed the door behind him to his temporary room and miserably pressed against it. Rudolph slid to the floor and leaned his head back against the thick ebony wood, swallowing whimpers and forcing back tears that threatened to leak out. He would _not_ cry over Tony again. It was probably explainable on Tony’s part anyway. 

But Rudolph wasn’t dumb. He saw the way Tony’s eyes lit up when he had seen Anna. It didn’t even look like he was under her spell. He looked at her the way Rudolph thought Tony would always look at him, like he was the only thing left in the world and Tony had it. He could have anything he wanted though. He was absolutely irresistible; the perfect person with the perfect personality and the perfect laugh and the most perfect smile. Who wouldn’t want him?

But maybe this was all a game to Tony, just a big ‘let’s see who can fall for me first?’ type of game, where Rudolph was clearly the winner of that but most definitely not of the boy’s heart. He could never win Tony over if he tried, and he could never be his for that long. He probably just felt sorry for Rudolph. 

The vampire squeezed his eyes shut at the thought of Tony cuddling Anna like he had with the other immortal, pressing barely there kisses to her lips like he had with Rudolph; being gentle as to not overwhelm her like he had when he found him on the floor crying. He scrubbed at his eyes, trying to wipe away the visions of Anna in Rudolph’s place. 

A sudden thought popped into his head. Maybe he could get Tony to choose him. He could be the person for Tony the way he always wanted to be, if he could figure out a way to persuade him that he could somehow be good enough. 

Rudolph sat there with his back to the door for hours, watching as the light behind the curtains across the room shifted from blue, to red, to orange, and finally a blinding yellow that indicated the sun had risen; he’d spent the entire night there. The vampire miserably stumbled upwards and crossed the drab room to the bed. He splayed across the duvet, solid as a rock from years of disuse. It was so cold and empty. He couldn’t believe he was feeling like this less than twenty four hours after he had been with the boy he loved with all he had. He bit back tears, annoyed by how he was allowing himself to be so delicate. The teenager just lay there, wondering why it was him who had to continue feeling this repressed. 

After a few minutes, he heard a soft knock on the door. 

“Rudolph?” Tony’s unsure voice sounded from the other side, and with a twist of his stomach, the dark haired boy leapt up to answer it. _This could work. He could stay._

He dashed to the door handle, turning it slowly so as not to appear overeager. When the door creaked open, he was left staring into piercing blue eyes that darted about his face. 

“Hey,” he smiled warmly as Rudolph opened the door all the way. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Well this _is_ my room right now, I suppose,” Rudolph smirked when Tony blushed a beautiful scarlet color, glancing at his feet. 

“I- well I… _supposed_ that you’d be staying with me now… in my room?” he held out a bundle of flowers to the pale boy, different flowers than the ones he had seen the night before, but still flowers. _Not like the ones Anna had been presented,_ Rudolph thought with a pang in his chest as he took them from Tony with a tremulous hand. He pushed that thought away, burying it deep in his head as he smiled softly at the blond. 

“Thank you,” Tony grinned up at him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek with a feather brush of lips. He let out a small squeak when he felt the human’s warmth, but sighed contentedly after a moment. Pulling away, the blond tipped his head towards his bedroom while taking Rudolph’s free hand, smiling widely at the lilac dusting across his cheeks. They flew down the hall into their room, shutting and locking the door with soft clicks. 

Once that had been done, Tony placed a hand at the base of Rudolph’s neck, looking over the boy’s face and fiddling with the hair at his nape. 

“I didn’t know where you were for the longest time,” Tony whispered, placing his other hand on Rudolph’s chest. The immortal’s breath stuttered as he dropped the flowers to the floor and placed shaking hands on his friend’s cheeks, who didn’t seem to notice the tremor. “I was worried about you,” those great big pools of ocean blue gazed into him as though they could see straight through and into his soul. Tony was so pure, it was crazy to think he was playing a game with him, with his heart- both their hearts. 

“‘m sorry,” was all Rudolph could say, really. Tony was with Anna all night, why should he worry about him? 

“I’m crazy about you, you know,” he said, his mouth inches from the vampire’s. 

“Uh huh,” he lied, the furious blush on his face evident of the fib. Tony just grinned and leaned in to kiss the boy, their mouths meeting in a delicate kiss that lasted only a few seconds.

When they parted to gaze happily at one another, Tony’s eyes were half closed, as if he were trying to file away that kiss somewhere in his mind, and it made his stomach flutter as he went back to meet Tony’s lips once more. 

Rudolph was surprised when the blond moved his hand from his chest to his hair, tugging lightly at it as he pressed their bodies flush together. Rudolph placed his hands on Tony’s hips, holding him as close as he could. He broke away for a moment to bite the mortal’s bottom lip gently, licking at the spot when Tony’s breath stuttered, and held onto him all the tighter. 

Tony’s lips tasted like orange juice and strawberry chapstick. 

Rudolph refused to dwell on the latter, shoving it down where he had buried his previous thoughts as the two broke away to quickly undress, shucking off each other’s clothes. 

❃

“What does my heartbeat feel like to you?”

Tony and Rudolph had lain in bed for the past few hours, drifting in and out of sleep as they clutched one another like lifelines. The vampire pulled away from Tony to slide a cool hand underneath the mortal‘s sweatshirt, searching along his ribcage until he felt a steady pounding in his chest. 

“It feels like rhythmic thunder that’s reverberating throughout your body,” he pressed his ear against it through the thick green cloth. “It- it sounds like drums being pounded at such precise rates that you wouldn’t believe the drummer was actually playing, that they were syncing to one perfect recording.”

“You should be a poet,” Tony giggled, one hand resting on Rudolph’s bare chest, the other stroking absently along the waistband of his coal black briefs. 

“I was, for a number of years,” Tony smiled into Rudolph’s neck, kissing it mindlessly over and over as Rudolph continued, “until I realized how _dull_ it is to have to write about the same things _every day_ without people getting upset with you,” he made a face which Tony caught a glimpse of as he pulled back. He smirked, kissing Rudolph’s nose softly, causing the vampire to collapse into giggles. It was followed shortly by the blond’s own silent laughter, his chest quaking as he watched the pale boy’s eyes crinkle with mirth. 

“Let me guess, people only wanted to hear about love and nature?” 

“Don’t even get me started!” he murmured, running a hand through Tony’s mussed blond hair. “It was all _‘oh, my dear sir Rudolph, your writing is exquisite,_ blah, blah, blah, _but could you write less about the way you miss sunrises and more about how beautiful the moon is with your lover on an autumn night’_ and _‘please kind Sir Sackville-Bagg could you not write about how your siblings have been annoying you for the past hundred years and more about passionate summer days by the ocean?’_ I mean _honestly,_ they should have understood that I was a vampire straight from the get go.”

Tony laughed out loud, his eyes twinkling as he gazed at Rudolph, already taking in his features with one glance over. “You’re crazy, Rudy,” he murmured finally, moving in to kiss the teenager, dipping his tongue into his mouth playfully just to hear an involuntary moan stem from the pale boy’s throat. Rudolph _did_ moan, running his hand up Tony’s thigh where he absentmindedly hooked a finger underneath the waistband of his briefs, grazing over the tender skin there. The blond haired teenager shuddered, but kept his hand steady at the small of Rudolph’s back, pressing him closer. 

“I- Rudolph, I- I lo-” he began, but he immediately silenced himself when footsteps sounded outside the door. After a few seconds, someone knocked on it, the sound echoing throughout the bedroom as the two lay still. “Rud-” was all he managed to get out before Rudolph was pressing his lips to the mortal’s again to keep him quiet. 

Whoever it was knocked again, but after being met with more silence, sighed and stalked off, leaving the teenagers to themselves again. Tony rolled over to cage Rudolph between his arms, hovering just above him. The vampire giggled and placed his hands on Tony’s back, pulling him in for a slow, mesmerizing kiss that grew deeper when Rudolph wrapped his legs around Tony’s waist. They stayed like that for a long while, alternating between tongues and bites and kisses and hickeys. When finally pulling back, they each noticed the other’s kiss-swollen lips, laughing bashfully while they settled in for another cuddle. 

This time, they properly fell asleep, tangled together and sighing happily in the other's arms. Just as the pale boy drifted off to sleep, he couldn’t help but think, _I could get him to choose me, maybe he’ll choose me. What if I’m enough?_

❃

It continued on for weeks, Tony kissing Rudolph quietly in bed and in scenic places all to themselves. Sometimes he held his hand around the castle when they weren’t flying, and he let Rudolph kiss him out in the open; even with other vampires present. 

But those were the evenings he was Tony’s. Nearly every other night he spent alone, watching silently as Anna flew off hand in hand with the blond gazing lovingly at her, flashing her _Rudolph’s_ smile. But she didn’t get him to herself as much as Rudolph did, which made him feel like he was winning sometimes. 

Anna and Gregory had been flying through the halls together on one of those days, and upon seeing Rudolph flying alone, Gregory whispered something to Anna. They had stopped him in his tracks. “Rudolph, you don’t look very well since I saw you last. We hardly even see you around anymore. What’s wrong, brother?”

Rudolph had lied like always and said nothing was the matter, when he did, in fact, barely eat when Tony wasn’t with him on those other days, and he barely slept then as well. 

Anna had just shook her head fondly and wrapped him in a tight embrace. “If anything ever bothers you, please tell us,” she said. But as Gregory passed by, she held him tighter and whispered in his ear, “I know you’re not going to tell me, but I can feel that your heart is breaking. Don’t ask me, I just know, and I won’t press you for answers as to why.”

 _So Tony hadn’t told her about them._ That had been a relief, because who knows what would have happened if all the others _really_ found out what was going on. 

Once Rudolph had gotten Tony for three days, and it had been the best three days of his miserable after life. Tony had been so kind and so gentle and he had kissed him all over until he felt like he couldn’t be filled up with any more love or he’d burst. But the blond had just stroked him through it all, even when tears had welled in his eyes and everything hurt, he still managed to comfort him with kisses and gentle, soothing words. 

Tony must have heard the several times Rudolph breathed “I love you” out in broken syllables, and if he hadn’t heard it, then it explained why the mortal was still kissing him and allowing him to sleep in his bed. Tony wouldn’t want him if he knew how much he affected Rudolph. No one wanted him to stay when he had said it, so why would Tony?

One thing was for sure; he _never_ cried over Tony, because when he would, he blamed it on the puberty that had concluded centuries ago, or a somehow lingering garlic scent _._ Some nights he cried silently in Tony’s arms, thanking the dark star that he was oblivious to Rudolph’s tears as he turned away from the blond. 

It still hurt when Rudolph was alone, sleeping in his own coffin because he didn’t want to be there if Tony brought Anna to his room. He only had his thoughts then, and they always, _always_ drifted back to the boy he loved. 

He made sure he never got in the way either. He would mostly stay in the guest room all night some evenings until Tony’s timid knock sounded on the door, or he would fly somewhere discreet and meet up with the boy at sunrise when he was eating breakfast, or walking back from wherever he had been. Everything was fine up until one night, when Rudolph had just about had enough of dancing around his feelings, tired of the crack in his heart that was tearing his world apart from the inside. He had been flying through the halls, attempting to be subtle as he- very obviously- looked for Tony. The sun had just risen, and he was flying down a corridor when he heard a small groan that sounded like Tony’s. 

He tried to turn in the other direction and get away as fast as possible, but something made him stay, something made him want to know what he was doing with Anna. He cautiously rounded the corner, prepared to bolt away in disgust, but he froze when he heard a soft murmur from Tony. 

“Oh, _I love you.”_

Everything seemed to shut down inside Rudolph as he sat unmoving in the air, defeated. He ventured a careful peek and, sure enough, Tony was kissing Anna up against the wall, and Anna was smiling into the kiss, almost unaffected by what Tony had just said. Like he didn’t just change her whole world. Rudolph stared into dead space in horror, his mind going blank as he realized he had to get away from there. Nearly stumbling over his own feet, he raced his way through the halls, only stopping once he stumbled into the bathroom that was across from Tony’s room. The dark haired boy locked the door with a sharp click, slumping against it as he put his head in his trembling hands.

 _Tony chose Anna. Why wouldn’t he? I lost._ **_I_ ** _lost._

Tears pricked at Rudolph’s eyes even though he had _known_ this would happen and he had prepared himself for it all those weeks ago.

_He chose her, and it’s all over._

But he was right to fall for her, didn’t he? She was so much better looking than Rudolph, and so much braver, so much kinder, so much wiser. Anna was everything Tony definitely found fault in Rudolph for not having. But that was alright. 

He was okay with just being there for Tony when he needed him. It was okay with him if they just remained friends. Maybe a little more. Sometimes. Anything Tony wanted. It didn't matter to Rudolph. 

He could never let go of the intimacy he shared with the blond. He would never be able to keep his hands off of Tony, and he would hate Rudolph afterwards. It was better to let go. He just didn’t know how to do that. 

Rudolph stood up on quivering legs, walking unsteadily to the sink where he splashed cool water on his face, trying to force back tears. 

“Rudolph, are you in there?” his stomach dropped when he heard Tony’s voice on the other side of the door. Didn’t he know who he had chosen? Rudolph sniffled, rubbing his face dry and pressing himself against the wall beside the door. Maybe he’d go away if Rudolph didn’t answer. He just wished Tony would leave him alone and not rub it in. He had probably come to talk with the vampire about his decision. “Rudy,” his voice had softened, “could you open the door for me?” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Anna right now?” he bit out miserably, an ashamed flush crawling up his neck. 

“W- what?” the teenager jiggled the handle, but it was no use attempting to enter. 

“Please don’t pretend you don’t know,” he tried to make himself sound harsh, but his voice cracked, and he could tell that Tony knew he was shattering on the inside. “I heard you. I know it’s finished, and I’m just gonna accept that, so you can leave.”

A bitter sob escaped Rudolph’s mouth, and Tony seemed to panic on the other side of the door. 

“Rudolph,” he rushed, running his hand over the dark wood and jiggling the handle again, “I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to come out so we can talk, or let me in. Please don’t make me stand out here by myself.”

“Oh, _please_ ,” he retorted, wrenching open the door so hard that it hit the opposite wall with a loud crack. He rushed through the threshold, heading for his room, but Tony was too fast, grabbing Rudolph’s hand and pulling him back. The pale teenager wouldn’t turn around to look his friend in the eyes. He couldn’t, not when his world was collapsing around him. “Why don’t you go back to _Anna._ I’m sure she’s waiting expectantly for your return.”

“I don’t understand. Rudy, _please_ ,” Tony swiveled him around by the hand, grasping his shoulders to keep him in place. His eyes danced around Rudolph’s grief-stricken face. Tony looked so confused, and Rudolph couldn’t help but become puzzled as well. Why wasn’t he at least acknowledging it? 

The vampire just huffed and broke away from Tony, heading towards the blond’s bedroom with the boy at his heels. He couldn’t believe Tony was actually following him. 

Once the door had shut, the human was on Rudolph again, pressing him into the wood. “What,” he asked shakily, “are you talking about?”

“I thought it was clear to everyone in this situation by now.”

“Well it’s not clear to _me_ ,” he growled, his brows furrowed together angrily.

“Well I thought it _would be_ , seeing as you’ve been fooling around between me and Anna for the past weeks.”

The pressure on Rudolph’s chest trembled, and Tony’s mouth popped open in shock as his eyes shifted around, trying to comprehend what Rudolph had said. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“ _Tony._ I’m no fool. You don’t have to play about with me like I don’t know how you alternate between Anna and I.”

“Rudolph, if this is some _joke,_ or- or _prank_ you’re playing, you need to stop it right now. _Stop this_ , because I don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re scaring me.”

“Come on!” he shouted, causing Tony’s eyes to flicker and the glint of tears to spring forward. “Haven’t you been galavanting around here, kissing me and telling me I’m beautiful and making me smile and laugh and fall even harder for you, and the next day do the same with Anna?”

“Rudolph, I’ve never-”

“Oh, so you’ve never told me that you want to see me after breakfast and then go off with Anna for the rest of the night, only to come by in the morning to ask me where _I’ve_ been and why _you_ hadn’t seen _me_?” Rudolph had pushed Tony off, not wanting him to be so close when tears threatened to spill out of his own eyes. 

“And you’ve never kissed me good morning or good night, only to leave for _hours_ with me not knowing if you were doing the same thing with Anna, or more, since apparently you love her-”

“Rudolph! Stop it!” tears were rolling down his cheeks, and he put his face in his hands. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I really don’t. How could you think I’d do that like I don’t lo- I’m so confused, Rudy.”

“Don’t- don’t you know what you’ve been doing to me all these weeks? How much of my _stupid_ heart you’ve chipped away?” 

Tony looked up, his face contorted with bewilderment and hurt, trying to make sense of something clear as crystal. 

“You- you said that- that when I’m not with you, I’m with Anna.” 

“Yes,” he said, his throat blocking up. 

“I haven’t seen her ever since that night I found you, and we… you know. Not once.”

Rudolph remained silent, studying his friend’s face in complete confusion, bitter tears still rolling down both their faces. The hot tracks stung even in his heart, his cold, dead heart that he had thought could feel maybe even a slight pulse again with Tony by his side. 

“I’ve only been with you, Rudolph. This entire time. I honestly don’t know what you mean by all of this, and you’re breaking my heart,” he sniffled and ventured over to the vampire who was wiping away tears in annoyance, staring at the ground. He placed tremulous hands at the back of his neck, tilting his head up slowly so he could gaze into his deep maroon eyes. Then something flickered in his ocean blue irises, and Tony frowned further, searching all over Rudolph’s face for the words with his mouth hanging open. 

“ _Rudolph_ ,” he whispered at last, pulling him close and wrapping his arms around his neck. “I think she’s been charming me,” his voice was so small and so scared, with his head buried beneath Rudolph's chin. The vampire gasped softly and leaned forward, clutching at his friend’s waist desperately.

“Oh. Ohmygod. Oh god. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I- _god,_ I got it wrong,” he let out a half sob, and suddenly Tony was pulling back. He brought his lips to the vampire’s in a hurried, messy kiss that tasted like tears and he moved backwards with Rudolph so quickly that they stumbled into the bed. 

“Rudolph Sackville-Bagg, _don’t you be sorry._ Never be sorry for all of the hurt I’ve caused you.”

“But I-” Tony silenced him with another kiss, pulling Rudolph down onto the bed so he would lie beside him. Tony settled in, inches from Rudolph’s face as he stared longingly into his eyes. 

“I hurt you so much and for so long, and I didn’t even know it,” he murmured, burying his hand in Rudolph’s thick black hair. The immortal sighed, throwing an arm around his waist and pulling him in. “I didn’t even notice you were miserable when I really should have. I was just so caught up with you, I guess. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I should have been there for you.”

At that, Rudolph drew in a sharp breath and smiled. “It’s definitely not your fault, but I forgive you anyway, I guess. Besides, I bet you haven’t been very much in the right place for weeks. The spell probably muddled your brain a little,” Tony could immediately tell what Rudolph was insinuating and he tugged at his vampire’s hair to bring him in for another kiss that lasted until they ran out of breath. 

Pulling away panting, Tony cupped Rudolph’s cheek, running a thumb over his kiss-swollen lips. “None of this has been because of that, I can tell you that much, Rudy. I’ve wanted you since the very day you saved your clan.”

“ _You_ saved the clan.”

“For once, I’m going to have to agree with Anna when I say _we_ saved the clan, then.”

Rudolph giggled, shifting away from Tony so they could climb under the duvet. Once the covers were pulled up over both their shoulders, Tony rolled over, holding himself above Rudolph as he straddled his hips. 

“Why,” he breathed dangerously, “didn’t you confront me about everything before? How could you let me do that to you?”

“I…” Rudolph peered into insistent aquamarine irises, swallowing a thick lump in his throat. “I just… thought I could have someone… something special with you… for- for at least a little bit.”

Tony eyebrows furrowed momentarily before he leaned in so close to him that their hot breath mixed in the thick air. 

“What do you want?” he whispered, dipping down to suck a shallow hickey high on Rudolph’s neck, high enough that he couldn’t cover it well if he tried. 

“Hmm?” he answered almost inaudibly. 

“I’d give anything for you, Rudolph, I just want to make you happy. And since it seems that you haven’t let yourself be happy for so long, I’ll give you whatever you want. Just name it.”

“I want to be your boyfriend.”

Tony snorted, dipping down to kiss the teenager’s quivering lips. When he pulled back, he stayed mere inches away from his face. “Well, obviously I’m gonna be your boyfriend now that everything’s figured out. What do you want to _do_ , Rudy?”

The vampire’s mouth popped open for a minute before he closed it determinedly, and brought his lips to Tony’s. Their mouths melted together with the blond holding himself sturdily above Rudolph, but still running his hands over every inch of the pale teenager’s upper body. Their tongues rolled together delicately, lips caressing parts of the body they had been too meek to touch before as clothes were slowly removed. With every time they broke away from a kiss, they were smiling, smiling the smiles that the other knew was the one reserved especially for them. At last Rudolph pulled back. He grazed his fingertips over the boy’s bare arms, causing him to shiver contentedly. 

“Tony- could you… I want… I want you to hold me.”

“Of course,” he whispered, planting a chaste kiss on his lips as he moved onto his side next to Rudolph. He held out his arms for his boyfriend to shift into, who laid his head against his chest, tanned skin rising and falling with every breath the blond took. Rudolph wrapped his arms around the teenager, clutching his back desperately like he would disappear if he didn’t hold on tight enough. 

Rudolph could hear his boyfriend’s heart pounding in his chest, clear and strong to the vampire’s ear that was pressed against it. He just sighed happily, so glad he could really call Tony his own. 

“I guess we’ll have to talk to Anna about her charming then,” Tony murmured into his hair.

“It won’t be so bad. I know she’ll understand. She’s so much more civil and reasonable… ‘n she’s way nicer than me.”

“How can that be possible?” Tony feigned horror. “You’re already perfect.”

“Well then she’s perfecter,” he grumbled into the blond’s chest, trying to hide the blush creeping up his neck. Tony just laughed fondly and kissed the immortal’s head. “Really. She’s a good person. If we go and talk to her about it, she’ll apologize and leave us alone. Anna’s just fundamentally good like that. Plus, she’s gotten way more advanced at those spells than I thought- you can’t tell if she’s charming someone or not.”

Tony laughed, his chest bouncing Rudolph’s head until he was joining in on the soft laughter as well. The vampire tucked himself further into Tony’s form, curling around him protectively and placing kisses on every patch of sun kissed skin he could reach. The blond only smiled into his hair, fingering lightly through it over and over, until he developed a steady rhythm that made the immortal’s eyes droop. 

“Rudy?” Tony whispered after they had lapsed into comfortable silence. 

“Yeah?” he wrapped a leg around Tony’s, the blond blowing out a breath of a laugh that tickled the hairs on Rudolph’s head. 

“I love you.”

Rudolph tensed against Tony instantly, his breath growing short as he lifted his head to look up into perfect blue eyes. He tried to search for any insincerity in his face, but his cheeks were glowing and he was flashing Rudolph _his_ smile, and _oh_ , he believed him. The vampire couldn’t help but break out into a smile, watching as Tony’s freckles stretched on his face with the one he mirrored. He then realized how silly this had all been. If he had just remembered what Anna had fun doing in the presence of non-family members or if he had confronted Tony about it all in the first place, none of this would have been blown so far out of proportion. 

But a partial thanks to that mess, Rudolph was currently in Tony’s arms, and Tony had just told him he loved him, like the vampire had dreamed about for what seemed like endless years. 

“Oh, _Tony_ ,” he breathed, leaning in so their lips would meet once more. Rudolph kissed him and kissed him and kissed him, until Tony was panting for breath and begging for more. 

He pressed their foreheads together, grinning wildly at the boy he had been in love with since the first night they met. 

“I love you, Tony. God, I’ve always loved you. You have no _clue_ how long I’ve waited for you.”

“I think I know how you feel,” Tony whispered, his hand wandering up to Rudolph’s cheek. He kissed the vampire one more time before they settled back into their original positions, with Tony’s heartbeat lulling him to sleep. 


End file.
